


Coffee

by ellieloves2read



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, Post-Skybound, i wrote this all in one go with no planning so idk how good it is but. here ya go, might get another chapter depending on how i feel but I make no promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29054256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellieloves2read/pseuds/ellieloves2read
Summary: Jay should tell them. The sooner the better.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	Coffee

Jay should tell them. He knows he should. They should know about the threat Nadakhan possesses. The thought of losing his family again keeps him up almost as much as his nightmares do. 

He should tell them soon, while his memory is fresh (too fresh; Nya is still going cold in his arms). The sooner he tells them, the more time they’ll have to prepare. The less likely they’ll lose a second time. 

He wakes up for the third time that night. He doesn’t even remember what he was dreaming about, but sweat is sticking his shirt to his back and his breath is coming in short, ragged gasps, when it comes at all. Jay squeezes his eyes shut. He counts his breaths. In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. Repeat. His fingers ache from the tight hold they have on his pillow. He opens his eyes and glances at the clock. He’s probably not sleeping again tonight. That’s fine by him. 

He rolls out of bed, stopping before his still-shaky legs give out. Once he’s sure he won’t fall over, he feels his way to the kitchen. Just because he’s awake at an ungodly hour doesn’t mean his friends should be, too. 

Except apparently they are. Or Kai is, at least. His back is turned to Jay, and he’s stirring something. Probably coffee, if the smell is anything to go by. 

“Any left for me?” Jay whispers, voice cracking slightly. Kai jumps and whirls around before relaxing. 

“Jeez, how long you been standing there?” he says in a low voice. He gestures to the partially full coffee machine. Score. 

Jay pours a mug. “Not long,” he says. “Sorry for scaring you.”

“Pff, I wasn’t scared,” Kai says. He takes a sip from his mug. “You just caught me off guard, that’s all.” Jay snorts, but he doesn’t push it. The nightmare is still fresh in his mind and he doesn’t have the energy to banter right now.

Unfortunately, Kai notices. “Nightmare again?” he asks without looking at him. Jay shrugs. He takes a long sip. It’s a little too hot and bitter, but he couldn’t care less right now. They sit there for what seems like hours. Time is weird this late (early?) at night. It doesn’t help that Jay is zoning out hard, what with half clear segments from the nightmare playing on loop in his head. Something with spiders, he knows. Judging from the mocking laughter, the pirates were probably there too. Fantastic.

A wince on his right snaps Jay out of his spiral. Kai is touching his lip, which looks like—yep, it’s bleeding. 

“Kai! Are you—“

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Kai growls, “just bit my lip is all.” He licks at the spot a couple times before giving it up. Jay notes the hollow look in his eyes beneath the irritation and he sees the white knuckled grip on his mug. He should’ve noticed sooner, he thinks guiltily.

“You had a nightmare, too.” He hesitates. Kai doesn’t normally talk about his feelings. Honestly, Jay’s surprised that Kai isn’t beating up a training dummy right now. But hey, his usual coping mechanism is playing video games until dawn or having a panic attack in the bathroom, so who’s he to judge. 

Kai hunches in on himself slightly. He glares into his half-finished coffee. Jay averts his gaze and takes a sip.

“I dreamed that Nya died.”

Jay’s heart twists violently and he inhales his coffee. He hacks and coughs so hard his throat burns. He focuses on that instead of the panicked buzz in his head.  _ Seriously? _ he thinks, a bit hysterically.  _ Can’t the universe give me a break for two seconds? _

No, of course it can’t. It’s his fault Kai had the nightmare, isn’t it? Stupid question. 

Kai’s hand is on his back. “Whoa, hey, dude, are you alright?” he asks, eyes full of concern. 

“Y-Yeah, just got some coffee down the wrong tube, y’know?” He coughs a couple more times. “Sorry, just—just go ahead. Um, if you want to.”  _ Please say you don’t want to _ . 

Kai’s hand drops as he sighs, almost forcing the breath out. “I… I don’t remember much. Just that my sister was dead, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Jay’s stomach turns. He swears he can hear Kai’s teeth grind. “That, uh, sounds like it sucks. I’m sorry.” He’s so sorry, some days he feels like he’s drowning.

Kai rocks back and stares at the ceiling. “Whatever,” he says. “It was just some dumb dream.”

Cold hands clamp around Jay’s neck.  _ Tell him. You need to tell him. _

_ I know _ , he thinks. 

_ No.  _ **_Tell him_ ** _. Tell him it wasn’t a dream. Tell him it could happen again. They need to know, idiot, do you want her to die in your arms again? _

He almost opens his mouth. He’s so close. 

He waited too long. Kai stands up with a weariness that doesn’t suit him. He ruffles Jay’s hair and goes back down the hall to their bedroom. Relief crashes over Jay, and he hates himself for it. 

He doesn’t touch his coffee again. He sits, stares at it, heartbeat so loud it deafens him. 

Jay should tell them. He should. He  _ should _ . 

His eye stings. 


End file.
